Marathons have been around far longer than anyone can remember. Some fast facts: It is said that marathons had their beginnings in ancient Greece. Greeks made use of foot couriers as a means of communication. These runners were tasked with delivering messages from one city to another (forerunner of the snail mail?). It was about 490 BC when a Persian army set foot in Marathon (yes, there is such a place), located about 25 miles from Athens. Immediately, the Athenians turned to their messenger Philippides to run to Sparta for help. This remarkable man was said to have run approximately 150 miles in less than two days. Nevertheless, the Athenians did not bother to wait for the Spartans and won the battle on their own. Allegedly, after claiming victory, the Athenians sent another runner to Sparta, bearing news of victory. When this man reached the neighboring city, he said, "Rejoice, we conquer." Those were this unfortunate man’s famous last words because he dropped dead soon after he said them. Although scholars knew that Philippides was not the man who announced the Atenians’ victory, writers eventually merged the two men into one character and changed the name to Pheidippides. The said legend gave birth to the marathon that we know today.
Long distance running can certainly be very demanding, requiring strength, endurance and, most of all, courage. You find yourself running alongside a huge group of people. But at the end of the day, you realize that your greatest competitor is simply yourself. Which is what makes marathons unique and worth dying, er, racing for.
Whereas the Olympic and Boston marathons have gained worldwide popularity, there is another marathon that has been drawing a faithful following here in the Philippines. The Milo Marathon has become a very successful running event in the Philippines for quite some time now. It’s been known to attract a big number of running enthusiasts everywhere it goes. More, it has inspired thousands of Filipinos to run their way to fitness. And much more, it has been known to discover great runners for races held abroad.
The famed Milo Marathon started 28 years ago. In 1972, the Munich Olympics named Milo as its official energy drink. It didn’t take long before Milo realized that energy and sports make one exciting combination. In 1974, Milo was approached to launch a marathon. With 767 runners, Milo hosted a 42-kilometer race in May 26 of that year. In the said race, 400 runners crossed the finish line. Twenty-eight-year-old golf caddy Numeriano Titong became the first champion of the Milo Marathon. The following year, Milo sent players to Boston and Hawaii. Victor Idava, Ernesto Mendoza, Exequiel Baisac, Justo Tabunda Jr., Eriberto Diaz, Jimmy dela Torre and Leonardo Illut represented the Philippines in those races. Three years later, Milo started holding regional elimination legs in Baguio, Legaspi, Cebu, Davao and Metro Manila.
In 1990, Milo decided to add more categories to enable non-serious runners to participate. In 1991, women started to join the fast-growing marathon. In the same year, Milo began to declare marathon queens. Also, three-kilometer and five-kilometer runs were added to the event, along with a cheering competition, if only to encourage children to get into sports. The first-ever female champions were Arsenia Sagaray in 1992 and Liza Relox-Delfin in 1995. The running population of the Milo Marathon grew even more in 1999 when Milo started approaching schools to encourage students to run. Indeed, the Milo Marathon has come a long way. Today, it’s he premier running event in the country, continuously growing in scope and scale.
In 2001, the Milo Marathon made yet another claim to fame. With 12-city elimination legs, the event recorded having the biggest number of participants in its marathon history. In fact, there were even runners from Malaysia and Thailand who participated in the event. The Milo Marathon is determined to surpass that record.
Now in its 28th year, Milo is going the distance to make a running enthusiast out of every Filipino. Running eliminations are set to be held in Lipa City, General Santos, Iloilo City, Manila, Olongapo City, Cagayan de Oro, Cebu City, Tacloban City, Naga City, Davao City, Laoag City, Butuan City and Baguio City. Last Sept 5, I was fortunate to attend the elimination marathon in Davao. It was a sunny morning when running enthusiasts assembled at a small basketball court, the starting line of the race.
As anxious as they might have been, I could see the determination written on everyone’s face. But it wasn’t really about finishing ahead of the pack. It was about being able to run along the whole running distance that they signed up for. To fight the good fight – in this case, to run the good run. It was simply remarkable to see a lot of Davaoeños so enthusiastic about running.
The Davao marathon boasts an impressive group of winners. These are nine-year-old Harry Cunahap and Chalot Ybanez for the six to nine-year-old group; 12-year-old Francis Paco and 11-year-old Lorna Gerevola for the 10 to 12-year-old age group in the three-kilometer race. For the five-kilometer race, there were 20-year-old Roy Ocon and 19-year-old Judelyn Miranda. As for the grueling 21-kilometer race, the winners were 25-year-old Rodel Bustamante and 32-year-old Estela Mamac-Diaz.
I found the cheering competition equally exciting. Cheerleading teams from different schools cheered their hearts out in the hope of winning.
As I left Davao, I was giddy not so much because of the heady smell of its famous durian as for the fact that I felt like a winner myself, having been part of an unforgettable Milo Marathon experience. The joy of accomplishment is something that will keep these marathon participants running. For some, it will be another year before they do. For others, though, it will only be a matter of time as they fly to Manila to join the Milo Marathon finals on November 14. As for me, I can hear my heart racing as I await another exciting race.